06Boötes, The Herdsman
NAME: Boötes (boe-OAT-ees)
SEASON: Spring
CULMINATION: midnight, 30 April
ABBREVIATION: Boo
GENITIVE: Boötis (boe-OAT-is)
NEIGHBORS: CrB, Com, CVn, Dra, Her, Ser, UMa, Vir
BINOCULAR OBJECTS: none
URBAN OBJECTS: none
Boötes is a large constellation, ranking 13th in size among the 88 constellations. It covers 907 square degrees of the celestial sphere, or about 2.2%. Despite its size, Boötes is not prominent. The constellation is anchored by 0th magnitude Arcturus, but has only a handful of other stars brighter than 4th magnitude.
Boötes is an ancient constellation that has always been closely associated with neighboring Ursa Major in one way or another. The ancient Greeks named this constellation Boötes (“oxen driver”) ...
Get Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
